


Never That Simple

by TheHomestuckWhovian



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Idealism, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 06:17:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13944888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHomestuckWhovian/pseuds/TheHomestuckWhovian
Summary: Lotor believes the war will end if he gets the quintessence needed to power the Empire.It's not that simple for Matt.





	Never That Simple

**Author's Note:**

> This story includes discussions of war, death, and idealism. I thought it would be interesting for these two characters to discuss this, especially since their personalities are different from their viewpoints on this war.

"You really think it's going to be that easy?"

Lotor blinked, looking at the elder brother of the Green Paladin.

Matt looked at him with a dubious expression, though oddly without any sort of suspicion. Lotor expected more suspicion of his motives out of the Paladins and the rebels.

"No, I do not imagine getting the quintessence will be easy at all, but with Allura's help I'm sure it will be achievable. There is much work to be done until-"

"That's not what I meant," Matt quickly interrupted, and Lotor fell silent. "You think the war is going to stop when you get the quintessence, don't you? That we'll all be able to go home."

"Of course," Lotor assured him. "Quintessence is the most valuable commodity in the Galra Empire. Once we have an unlimited source, there will be no need for the Komar, or for fighting. The war will end and Voltron will only be necessary for emergencies."

Matt frowned at him. "That's...that's a very simple way of looking at war, Lotor. Much more idealistic than I expected from you."

"Idealistic?"

The rebel sighed. "War isn't so simple, Lotor. Those Galra generals out there aren't all going to put down their weapons when you get an unlimited source of energy. A lot of them are going to keep fighting over weapons and territory. They're going to keep causing problems for you and Voltron and the Blade and the people I work with. And there will be people constantly contesting your right to rule because you aren't pure Galra. Then there is Haggar and your former generals that are working with her, who are probably the biggest threat towards you whether you succeed or not. Plus there are planets that have been subjugated by your father for thousands of years, and billions of refugees out there with no home to return to, and billions in general who see any Galra and immediately be prepared to fight for their safety. Many out there don't trust the Blade of Marmora simply for being Galra, and you have to convince most of the universe that you  _really_ just want peace. And a lot can't be blamed for being distrustful."

That was...all quite reasonable to assume, actually.

"I never took you for a pessimist," Lotor remarked.

Matt shrugged. "I grew up on Earth. Looking at human history, it's all basically just a bunch of wars that were fought for a lot of reasons varying in stupidity. War isn't simple, and sometimes both sides get everything they wanted and it's still not enough."

Lotor nodded. "I see. Still, the large issue in the Empire is the need for quintessence. The need for weapons and territory will largely be alleviated once there is a constant source of it. Additionally, Allura and Coran are well-suited to diplomacy, and have agreed to assist with peace efforts. The Blade has also done much to improve the image of the Galra around the universe, which should help matters."

"And that's really good," Matt agreed. "I just want you to be prepared for things to take longer than expected. And I don't want you to promise to everyone that we'll all get to go home once we get you the quintessence, because people like Lance and Hunk have families that they want to see more than anything, and giving them hope that this will all be over soon and then having to force them to stay even longer when things aren't immediately solved...it'll crush them."

That was true. "I see. You are concerned about morale."

"False hope isn't a good way to boost morale. Eventually people will get frustrated that nothing is happening."

"My hope is that the situation will be alleviated at least enough that Voltron will only be needed on a part time basis."

"As long as Haggar is out there, Voltron can't afford to be part time."

"Then what do you suppose I do?"

"Be realistic about this. It's good to be idealistic at times, but war is almost never fair and if you don't at least have some idea of what to expect, you aren't the only one going down."

Matt and Lotor looked at each other and Lotor finally nodded in understanding.

"I appreciate your point of view," he began. "I should be prepared for the worst as I hope for the best. My hope is that I am not wrong about what the Empire needs, but I should be prepared for the chance that I am."

"Hey, I hope I'm wrong," Matt noted. "It'd be pretty great if it really was that simple. But I've had more experience than I care to think about with war, and I don't think we can afford to go into this expecting anything to be easy."

"I understand."

"Good." With that, Matt turned and headed for the door, likely to go find his sister.

Lotor looked out the windows into the expanse of stars, and he felt the weight of the Empire on his shoulders.

He had a lot of work to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Lotor is so...weirdly optimistic in Season 5. I didn't really expect idealism out of Lotor of all people. So I thought to put a more upbeat character in the pessimistic position here, and Matt just came to me.
> 
> ~~Of course, Lotor's supposed idealism could be an attempt to manipulate the other characters to meet his needs for him and he is actually deceiving the others about his intentions/plans. So, in a way, this story is the result of me being optimistic about his intentions?~~
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this shitty little story.


End file.
